What do you mean you received the upgrade on arrival? The whole point of the SNU is that they confirm it for you at booking, not wait until arrival to see what you get.

That is correct. I used the SNU to book a Junior Suite (at the price of a base-level Deluxe Room), which was confirmed at the time of booking.

Upon arriving at the hotel, we received a further upgrade to a Raffles Suite, presumably the application of the Gold+ benefit of room upgrade on arrival, subject to availability.

So, we have stayed in a Raffles Suite for the price of a Deluxe Room.

Good, well, that's how it's supposed to work. I was worried you booked the Jr Suite and the hotel wanted to redeem the SNU in order to get an upgrade on arrival!

So, were you able to book any rate to use the SNU?

Yeah I knew that the guaranteed Jr Suite on arrival was correct, but I was not sure if the hotel would grant the additional upgrade or not, as the booked Jr Suite was a "guaranteed upgrade"

I had the choice of booking on either a prepaid or flexible rate when making the booking on the phone with the agent.

I chose the flexible rate, as I want to burn points on departure. When using SNU, it cannot be used in conjunction with points at the time of making a prepaid booking, however if the rate conditions allow for points to be used on departure, then it is possible.

Another disappointing experience when trying to use my SNUs. The hotel is MGallery Century Old Town Prague.

I contacted the hotel and was told that if I want to use SNU I have to book an executive room and I will be then upgraded to a junior suite (the next category).

Also, the advance saver rate offered was almost 60 euros more expensive than the rate I can book on Accor webiste. Needless to say, I didn’t accept this.

Is this how it supposed to be? At Raffles Warsaw, I was able to use SNUs when booking an entry level room.

This is not the correct application of the T&C, there are no requirements for you to book the level just under the suite.

It's not how the program is advertised, but it's how Accor seems to have implemented it. It seems like they allow properties to select a room type for the pricing basis for the suite upgrade, and in some cases, the "base room" is only one category below.

I had the exact same problem trying to book at a Fairmont property. I was shocked at how high the quoted rate was to use a suite upgrade. When the agent dug into it a bit further, the pricing basis for a 1 bedroom suite using a Suite Upgrade award was the rack rate on a Junior Suite! The agent was apologetic, but said that there's nothing they can do to override the system, and in order to use a Suite Upgrade for properties where you have to book in advance (Fairmont, Raffles, Sofitel, I believe), the system prices it out based on an underlying room basis that the hotel chooses, and in some cases, that can be more expensive than just booking a discounted suite outright.

It's definitely not how the terms read, but it's how Accor has implemented the program in their systems. They managed to turn Suite Upgrades into a complete pile of garbage for many brands/properties.

​​​​​​
I completely agree. I just don't understand how Accor don't get the legal implications of this. It is the definition of a scam. The T and Cs are clear, but when you try to use a SNU a completely different set of rules apply around eligible rates. It is illegal to operate like this. An EU company especially should know better. I hope it comes back to bite them.

I was able to use 5 SNU certificates in Sofitel New York. I booked a non-refundable rate standard room last year and just contacted the hotel when we got the SNU certificates. The hotel staff just cancelled the previous booking and did a new one on my behalf adjusting the price to the one that was displayed for the standard room with non-refundable rate. I was also apologised for the tedious procedure. I look forward to the stay in the beginning of April.

So basically they adjusted your rate to the current rate, instead of honoring your previous rate and upgrading the assigned room. They probably think they did you a favor by letting you upgrade your non-refundable booking at all!

This benefit is quite a joke.

I understand the opposite : they matched the rate of the original booking (they adjusted the current rate to the previous rate)

Goldorak is correct: they matched the price of the original booking so they did a proper upgrade.

Sorry if my explanation was unclear.

Nevertheless, I assume that the whole process is very painful for the hotel itself.

OK. Well, that's a positive then.

I'm still waiting to find a situation where I can actually apply the SNU to any available rate. When I go to the website of my favourite hotels, and display offers, I usually get a dozen different offers from CAA/AAA rates, to extended stay discounts, etc. and so far, I've not found a single one available for use. I've see full BAR and full prepaid, and nothing else. I never book either of those.

Just over three weeks later:

Soon after the above posts, on 14 or 15 January, I made an online request to ALL "Customer Care".

Apart from the automatic acknowledgement I'd had no reply a week later, so I tried again.

On 23 January an Accor rep answered that she had passed the query onto the department responsible and would contact me again when she heard back.

Despite a gentle email nudge on 29 January I haven't heard a thing since (or received the fourth SNU).

Dear IMH,

Could you kindly MP me with your membership details so that we check your request and its processing?
Thank you for your patience and understanding,

With my best regards,
Amy